loveisrespect Blog

 I just found out last night that last week, my daughter’s boyfriend slammed her head against his car window a few times while they were arguing. She isn’t hurt now, but I am very worried about her. My daughter knows this is wrong but she believes it won’t happen again. My daughter is 18, so I can’t make her do anything. But what can I do?

You’re obviously right to be concerned for your daughter. While she may really believe this won’t happen again, this isn’t usually the case with physical abuse.

If you can, discuss the situation in a very low pressure way with her and ask if she might consider giving loveisrespect a call. A peer advocate can talk to her about abusive relationships and help her make a plan to safely end this relationship when she’s ready. All of our calls and chats are confidential. She doesn’t even have to give her name.

Some things you might suggest to your daughter:

* Try not to be alone with her boyfriend.

* Keep a cell phone with her and use it to call for help if needed.

* Try talking to a counselor locally (alone).

This is truly a difficult situation for a parent. Trying to force your daughter to make a decision about this relationship will likely only push her further from you. Let her know you’re concerned and available for support. Consider calling us yourself if you’d like to talk more about the situation.

*We don’t generally answer questions in detail through email. If you have a question or concern about dating abuse in your life, please call us or log in to our live chat.  This is a representation of a question only.

Today we posted the five finalists for our Dating Bill of Rights Video Contest. Please take the time to watch these videos and vote for your favorite. Voting will close on the 21st - and then we’ll announce our three winners.

We really appreciate the time and effort every entrant put into their video. Also, we want to say thanks to our wonderful celebrity judges (Tim Gunn, Jaslene Gonzalez, and Ann Shoket) for narrowing it down to five finalists for us.

In her article, Too often, teen dating poses hidden risk, for the LA Times Dr. Valerie Ulene includes some quotes from our president and a referral to our phone number and website.